Can You Hear Them? They're Talking about Us...

It seems that everyone in Greensboro is talking about what to do about War Memorial Stadium.

First, the city of Greensboro seems poised to do something: demolishing the parts of the stadium that are beyond repair, such as the entire third-baseline, could be part of the plan. Information about this appears in a May 11 post on neighbor David Hoggard's blog.

Several weeks ago, Irwin Smallwood, retired sports editor for the Greensboro News and Record, wrote an editorial that proposed dismantling the stadium and moving the facade to the grounds of the Greensboro Coliseum. (Here's what David Wharton had to say: A Little Urbanity: Um, Let's Not Do That)

The author of a letter to the editor in the June 10 News and Record agrees with Irwin.

And just last week, an editorial in the alternative newspaper Yes! Weekly
(which generally speaks favorably of neighborhood business) proposes a slightly
different solution in "What to do about War Memorial":

[W]e do not hate the old ballpark. In fact we admire its pre-war
architecture and the iconic gateway to the diamond. But that's not the primary
reason we don't want it torn down.

Like we said, promises were made, both to neighborhood residents and preservationists, that this old ballpark would not cease to be a live operation, that it would get its makeover and become the locus of community events, concerts and even baseball games, though not of the professional stripe. Placing the issue in the public's hands via a bond referendum does not constitute a promise kept.

And we think it's important to hold people to their promises.

Also, we've come up with a great use for the old space: Let the hipsters have it.

The infield is large enough to accommodate a stage, either at home plate or at left or right field, and there are already plenty of restrooms, concession areas and seats. We envision a spring and summer mini-festival series, with crafts and cheap beer and lots of bands, the louder the better, each installment raging until well after the lights cut on.

And if Aycock Historic District residents are serious about keeping the old ballpark, they shouldn't mind the noise all that much.

Maybe it's time that we (the Aycock Neighborhood) start talking about this, too. As always, send comments to historicaycock@gmail.com .